"Court rulings or administrative penalties are not as impactful as fan reactions. This definitely requires cooperation from platforms, advertising agencies, and audiences," said Le Quang Tu Do, director of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information (ABEI), at a press conference on July 30 about the new advertising law, which will soon take effect.

One of the law's key provisions clarifies the responsibilities of those who deliver advertising, mainly artists, celebrities, and influencers on social media.

Tu Do said that to enforce the new law effectively, the ABEI aims to limit the appearance of offending celebrities and artists in media, on platforms, and even in live performances. "We hope platforms will support and cooperate with this initiative," he said.

He also suggested advertising agencies consider suspending collaborations with offending key opinion leaders (KOLs) and key opinion consumers (KOCs) for a period, allowing them to "reflect on their actions." The current administrative fines have increased to 70-80 million VND, but are still "lenient," as the profits these individuals gain can be 10 times the fine amount. Suspending collaborations would be more effective.

Le Quang Tu Do, director of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information. Photo: Hoang Phong

Le Quang Tu Do, director of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information. Photo: Hoang Phong

Citing South Korea's approach, Tu Do explained that their artists' associations, advertising agencies, talent management companies, and social media platforms have a cooperative system to boycott offending celebrities and artists without state legal intervention. This system is so strict that artists can be completely erased from the entertainment industry.

"This is something Vietnam can learn from, to avoid the recent cases of celebrities disregarding the law for profit. The ABEI will propose formalizing this in a decree and request platforms to study and voluntarily apply it," Tu Do said.

Commenting on the violations of Quang Linh Vlog and Miss Thuy Tien, Tu Do expressed his disappointment. Before the incidents, both were considered outstanding young people. Linh is even a member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front. Besides greed, part of the reason for their violations was a lack of legal understanding.

Therefore, he suggested advertising and management companies require celebrities to comply with the law and clearly state this in contracts. The ABEI will actively promote the new advertising law and strictly handle violations to pave the way for the smooth implementation of the new regulations.

He also encouraged agencies and brands to prioritize advertising on platforms with law-abiding KOLs and celebrities, cooperating with the ABEI to limit the use of violators.

Tu Do mentioned a case where a streamer's livestream about their personal relationships attracted a million viewers and a wave of negative interactions. He said the ABEI requested the individual stop broadcasting. Each livestream could earn the streamer up to one billion VND by selling comment features to viewers. "Platforms should take measures to prevent celebrities from exploiting personal scandals and disrupting public order for profit," he suggested.

Don't completely trust "advertising scripts"

Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, deputy director of the ABEI, also emphasized that celebrities should not fully trust advertising "scripts" provided by brands. They must be vigilant and compare the scripts with the product's actual features and the documentation submitted to authorities.

"Milk advertisements often claim a few centimeters of height increase for children in a few months, or weight loss supplements promise a certain amount of weight reduction, while the product's actual effects don't support these claims," Huyen noted. However, celebrities who advertise false content will bear joint responsibility, as seen in recent cases.

Regarding online advertising, the ABEI requires clear identification using numbers, text, symbols, images, or sounds to distinguish advertising content from other content. Especially on social media and all other platforms, advertising content must be labeled as "advertisement," "sponsored content," or similar terms for user identification. Social networks must provide features to help users distinguish advertising.

In the draft decree, specialized management agencies have the right and responsibility to monitor and inspect online advertising activities within their assigned fields and areas. For example, the Ministry of Health will be responsible for inspecting advertisements related to dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.

Upon discovery of violations, they have the authority to request advertising service providers to block or remove the advertisement within 24 hours of the request.

Son Ha